What's it like to live with constant gunfire?
East-side residents spoke Thursday with KENS 5 reporter Sue Calberg about life in what they call a war-zone.
Children Hit The Floor
When the shooting started Thursday at the Walters Food Mart, grandfather Richard Dukes said he and his grandchildren did what they always do. “We fell on the floor!” he said, “That's all we could do! What else could we do? But is this the way we are supposed to live? Is this America or what?”
Dukes said the attack is the third shooting inside of three weeks at this corner. “Something has to stop,” he said.
The police chief said two men in their 20s who were standing in the parking lot of the convenience store were hit by bullet slugs, but at least 12 shots were fired.
Neighbors said that meant ten more bullets were flying through the area looking for innocent targets.
The barrage of bullets left the 2100 block of Burnet Street looking like a war zone, with crime scene markers laid out over most of the block.
Shell casing number one was found near the store. Number two was at the curb. Shell casings three and four landed about 25-feet away but shots six, seven and eight made it to the opposite side of the street. Shells nine through twelve trailed off in an easterly direction up the block.
Bullet Damage Throughout
At a house on the south side of the block, there’s a chair sitting on the porch. Luckily nobody was sitting in that chair when one of the slugs came flying through the air just above head level. That bullet pierced the outer wall of the home and flew all the way through the living room before lodging into an interior wall. The man who lives in the home said he was grateful he was in a back bedroom at the time.
That man’s car, which was parked in the driveway, also has a fresh bullet hole.
Directly across the street Ruth Ann Tynes said her house didn't get hit by bullets in this attack but the columns of her house and her front door are pock-marked from previous shooting incidents.
Conducting a tour of the damage, she said, “My brother has a bullet hole in his truck.” She pointed out the place where the bullet pierced the outer wheel well and exited in the bed of the truck.
Tynes also pointed out broken windows at her next door neighbor’s house. She said that damage happened about a month ago during a nighttime attack.
Fear Is A Constant
Tynes and Dukes both used the word ridiculous to describe living in an area of constant gunfire, but both said they are long-time residents who shouldn’t have to move to be safe.
“My babies lay on the floor because they're in fear of their life. They hear all the guns shooting,” Dukes said. “They know more about gun shots than firecrackers. They can tell the difference between the two. Why should they be able to tell the difference when anywhere else is safer?”
Tynes said sometimes the drug dealers are so thick on Burnet Street that her family can't even access their own drive way.
“It looked like a McDonald's drive-through. It was horrible,” said Tynes. “There were times when my brother would come home and he would have to honk to get them to move out of the way.”
Dukes, who is a minister, said the constant barrage leaves everyone on edge all the time. “They knocked out my windows with bullets before but guess what? All you can do is try to find safety in your own home!” said Dukes.
“That is an impossible way to live!” Dukes said while watching police process the shooting scene.
SAPD Responds
Police Chief William McManus was at the corner, overseeing the investigation and he said his officers are involved in regular, aggressive enforcement action in the area.
McManus said officers arrived at this scene within seconds of the shots being fired.
“Every day we run people off the parking lot. Every day,” McManus said, and he added that with this incident, neither the victims nor witnesses were very helpful.
McManus said the only clue provided to police was that the attack may have come from a silver car.
“At this point, we've got no cooperation whatsoever,” McManus said and added a plea for help from the public, “You have to work with us if you want to solve these crimes.”
Broken Promise?
Sadly, neighbors point out the all these incidents are going on right across the street from the multi-million dollar Promise Zone's brand new anchor apartment complex.
Dukes said channeling more money into buildings and not into job training programs is not working.
Tynes agreed. “There's got to be some other kind of outlet that they can use to get off the streets.”
Expressing the frustration of many, Dukes summed up his thoughts by saying he refuses to be forced out of his own neighborhood, but new solutions must be developed to save lives, “It's time for a change! And we need to hold our officials accountable. And we're not doing a very good job of it. And it's time we do so. And until we do so we going to be losing lives on these corners."
